Maserati Levante out testing

The Italians want a slice of the sporty SUV market; is this the car to take on the Macan and co?

Car company's test mules aren't designed to look good. But even by the sometimes visually challenging standards of the genre it's fair to say that few have looked as ugly as this, a floorpan prototype for the forthcoming Maserati Levante SUV. And a car that, on first impressions, puts the 'f' into 'ugly'.

The Germans have milked this cash cow enough

Don't be too alarmed, though - even behind the camo wrap the finished car won't look like this; it seems to be a Ghibli that's been chopped and cropped to match the Levante's dimensions, ride height and top-heavy weight profile.

And as might have spotted from the pictures, it was spotted by our man at the 'ring Dale at the filling station closest to the circuit, in between stints testing on the Nordschleife.

The use of the Ghibli is interesting, though - suggesting that Maserati might not be spinning the Levante off a modified version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee platform as previously reported. Fiat Group's useful habit of partly revealing its future model strategy as part of its five-year plan means we do know what engines the finished Levante will ship with.

Demand is there, Maser wants to supply it

These include a trio of turbodiesels, including a 345hp version, plus turbocharged petrol V6s and a range-topping turbo V8 with 550hp. All versions will have four-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox, and we'll be seeing the production version later this year.

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